Thermostatic fluid-controlling device



March 5, 1929. H. w. ODOWD 1,704,512

THERMOSTATIC FLUID CONTROLLING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 6, 1924 anontoz March 5, 1929. H. w. ODOWD THERMOSTATIC FLUID CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed Sept. 6, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet March 5, 1929. w, ODQWD THERMOSTATIC FLUID CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed Sept. 6, 1924 w 5/ 5 h W n w m W, L J w k L I 6 a, 6 LL 9 7 WM H w LUM\ l I II 42 Q L my L I a 6 w 5 1 m; 1?; Z I L ;1|I L M. 1 L

March 5, 1929.

H. W. ODOWD THERMOSTATIC FLUID CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed Sept. 6, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 114,111,, "111111111111" |IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII4 I IIIIIIIIIIA*IIIIIIIIIII II Patented Mar. 5, 1929 UNITED STATES HENRY w. ,o'nown, or JERSEY \CITY, new JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY mnsrm Ass'mm.

PATENT OFFICE.

MEN'I'S, TO STANDARD- GAS EQUIPMENT CORPORATION, OF BALTIMORE, mY-

LAN D, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND.

"IHERMOSTATIC FLUID-CONTROLLING DEVICE.

Application filed September 6, 1924. Serial No. 736,297.

' This invention relates to thermostatically operated heat regulating or controlllng devices, and has reference more partlcularly to devices of this kind suitable for use in connection with ovens .of gas stoves.

The general objects of the invention are to provide a device whichis of simple construction and involves. a minimum of parts; which is highlysensitive in action and capable of responding promptly to slight changes in temperature; which is positive and uniform in operation; and which may be readlly and conveniently adjusted to vary the degree of the controlled temperature. With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved arrangement and construc: tion of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in detail in the speclfication to follow.

In the accompanying drawings: I Fig. 1 is a perspectiveview of a port on of a gas stove having the invention applled thereto, parts of the oven being broken away to show the interior; I

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional plan view taken fore and aft of the oven on a line slightly above the thermostatic unit;

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal SGCtIOII on an enlarged scale through the valve casing and the adjusting means for the thermostatic device, the section being taken on the line 33 ofFig. 2; I

Fig. 4 is a cross section through the sam taken on the line 4-4. of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal longitudinal section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a modified form of the adjusting'means for the thermostatic device;

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of another modified form of the same; h

Fig. 7 is a similar view of the adjusting means adapted for a different kind of installation;

Fig. 8 is an elevation of a gas stove of a difi'erent type from that shown in Fig. 1 and showing the improved thermostatic device applied thereto, a portion of the oven being broken away;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the same, with parts in section, as viewed in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 8; I

cut-off valve 14:, an

Fig. 10 is a sectional plan view taken the line 1010 of Fig. 9; and I Fig. 11 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 1111 of Fig. 9.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 to 5, the gas stove therein illustrated is provided with an oven 1 and an overlying cooking top 2, the latter being heated by burners (not shown) supplied with gas from a sup ly pipe or manifold 3, and the former bemg heated by a main burner 4 (Fig. 2) also su plied with gas from manner presently to be described.

A thermostatic fuel-controlling device is employed for automatically regulatin the supply of gas to the oven burner an for maintaining the temperature of the oven at the desired point. This device com rises essentially a thermostatic couple 5 an a valve 6 operated thereby, the said couple being supported within the oven where it will be subect to the influence of the heat, and the valve being disposed in the gas passage leading tothe oven burner so as to regulate the flow of gas under thecontrol of the thermostat.

The thermostatic couple 5 may be of any suitable and appropriate form or construct1on, but in the preferred embodiment illustrated, 1t comprises an external tube? of a metal having a relatively high coeflicient of expansion, such as copper, and an internal rod 8 of a material having a low coeificient of expanslon, such as invar or stoic metal-or the like. One end of the rod 8 is fixed to the tube 7 as at 9, Fig. 2, so that the movement of the tube due to its expansion or contraction will be transmitted positively throu h the rod to the valve 6, which latter is fixed to the other end of the rod and adjustable thereon, as Will be more fully described hereinafter.

The forward end of the thermostatic tube 7 1s preferably attached to the rear side of a valve casing 10 supported by the side wall of the oven, such attachment being conveniently effected by screwing the tube into a threaded hole in the casing. The valve tended outwardly through the wall of the oven and is divided by a partition 11 into two chambers,a gas receiving chamber 12 connected to the supply pipe or manifold 3 through a branch (pipe 13 equipped with a a gas supply chamber 15 the manifold 3 in t e casing is ex- I connected to the oven burner 4 through a pipe 16terminating in a nozzle discharging into the flared mouth of the burner mixing tube 4 (Fig. 2). It may be noted at this point that there is associated with the oven burner 4 a pilot burner 17 which is supplied continuously with gas (when the oven is in use by means of a feed pipe 18 leading directly rom the receiving chamber 12. The gas supplied to the main heating burner 4, on the other hand, must pass from the receiving chamber 12 into the supply chamber 15'of the valve casing, and during such passage, it is subjected to the regulating action of the thermostatically operated valve 6 before referred to, which controls the communication be tween the two chambers. As best shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the valve 6 is in the form of a sliding piston and is fitted in a gas-tight manner within a valve cylinder 20 formed within the receiving chamber 12 and entirely surrounded by an annular passage 19. The valve cylinder 20 is formed with an annular slotlike port 21 which communicates with an annular groove-like port 22 formed in the piston valve 6, the degree of communication between the two ports being dependent on the position of the valve as controlled by the thermostatic couple. The piston valve is further formed with a number of axial ports or holes 23 leading from the annular port 22 into the supply-chamber 15, see Fig. 3.

From the construction described, it will be seen that the gas entering the chamber 12 will pass around the annular passage 19 through the annular port 21 into the annular port 22, and thence out through the ports 23 into the supply chamber 15, whence it will be conducted to the burner 4 by the pipe 16. lVhen the temperature of the oven is high and causes a corresponding expansion of the thermostatic tube 7 the latter pulls rearwardly on the rod 8 and moves the piston valve 6 to the rear, thereby shifting its annular port 22 rearwardly relative to the port 21 in the valve cylinder 20 and restricting the communication between the two in order to reduce the supply of: gas to the oven burner 4. When, however, the tube 7 contracts, due to a lower temperature in the oven, the rod 8 is pushed in the opposite direction, and. the piston valve correspondingly shifted to open up the ports and increase the supply of gas to the oven burner.

The piston valve 6 is screwed onto the end of the thermostatic rod 8, so that by turning it in one direction or the other, it may be adjusted relatively to the thermostatic couple to vary the temperature of the oven according to the articles of food being cooked. This adjustment of the valve is effected, in the present instance, by means of an adjusting wheel 24 (Figs. 4 and 5) attached to a tapered hub 25 seated in a corresponding opening in the front wall of the valve casing, and held gas-tight to its seat by a spring 26 bearing between the wall and a washer 27 fixed to a stem 28 extending inwardly from the hub. This stem 28 is flattened at its end, as at 29, and is slidably fitted in a corresponding slot 30 formed in an axial extension 31 of the piston valve 6, so that the latter may be set in any desired position without breaking its connection with the adjusting wheel 24.

In installations of the character shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the adjusting wheel is located on s the inside of the oven, and in order that it may be turned from the outside, there is provided a right-angularly disposed dial head 32 rotatably mounted, as by means of a screw stud 33, upon a lug 34 formed on an extension 35 of the valve casing and projecting outwardly through the side wall of the oven. The dial head is provided on its inner face with gear teeth 86 which engage gear teeth 37 on the periphery of the adjusting wheel 24, the edge of which extends through a slot 38 in the wall of the oven. Graduations 39 are placed on the dial head and are adapted to be read in connection with a pointer 40 fixed to the valve casing or the side wall of the oven by a screw 41.

By the method shown of mounting the dial head, it can be adjusted circumferentially or in the direction of the spacing of the graduations thereon, relatively to the adjusting wheel and the valve operated thereby, by first loosening the screw stud 33 sufficiently to dis engage the teeth on the dial head from the teeth on the wheel and then shifting the head around to the desired position, and again screwing up the stud to maintain the parts in their adjusted position. The purpose of this adjustment is to enable the parts to be set in their proper relative positions during assemblage, it being understood that the gas in one locality may have a diiierent thermal value and be under a different pressure from that existing in another locality, and in such conditions, by adjusting the dial head as described, the graduations on the dial may be caused, when positioned opposite the'pointer 40, to indicate the actual temperature required under any given condition.

The dial head is limited in its movement to a single rotation through 360 by means of a stop pin 55 carried by the dial head in position to engage a stop lug 56 projecting from the side wall of the oven, the movement of the valve between its 1 two extremes being effected by the motion of the dial within a complete rotation.

The valve casing is formed with an opening 57 through the wall thereof and leading to valve casingfrom the outside and positioned in the annular ports 21 and 22 in order to effect the proper initial setting of the valve in the manner just described.

The pointer is formed with an elongated slot 42, throu h which the screw 41 passes, so .as to be a justable relatively to the dial head in order to compensate for any variations between the actual temperature of the oven and'the temperatures indicated b the graduations on the dial head. To enab e the pointer to be more accurately ad'usted in making corrections, it is provi ed with graduations 43 reading in both directions from a zero point and which are spaced to correspond with the intervals between the graduations on the dial, it being understood to the comparatively large area of the annular ports 21 and 22, the piston valve, although thus directly connected to the thermostatic couple, insures an adequate and uniform supply of gas to the oven burner under all conditions of use. These and other advantages will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art.

As shown in Fig. 5, gas is allowed to fiow from the receiving chamber 12 to the supply chamber 15 through a by-pass opening 44 which is controlled by a throttling screw 45,

the purpose being to insure that the main heating burner 4 is supplied with a limited amount of gas continuously and independently of that controlled by the thermostatic valve 6, and this in order to prevent the supply of gas from being cut off entirely from the burner by the action of the valve. As before noted, the supply of gas to the pilot burner 17 is also continuous and independent, so that thisburner when once lighted will light the main burner and keep it lighted at all times until the gas is turned off by the hand operated valve 14.

In Fig. 5, a modified form of the connection for transmitting the rotary motion of the indicating head 32 to the valve is shown. In this case, the axis of the dial is disposed at right angles to the axis of the valve, similar to the arrangement shown in Fig. 5, but bevel gears are employed in this case instead of crown gears as in Fig. 5. The dial head is formed with a hub 59, the bore of which receives the outer end of an axle 60 rotatably mounted in a bearing 61 projectin outward- 1 from the valve casing, the said ore being fbrmed with axial teeth 62' entering grooves 63 in the end of the axle, so as to form a detachable driving connection between the wheel and axis, the wheel being detachably confined on the axle by a fastening screw 64 screwed in the axle and having its head engagin the outer face of the wheel. This construction admits of the adjustment of the dial head relatively to the parts operated thereby, in the direction of the spacing of the graduations, as before described in connection with Fi 5, and for the same purpose. At its rear en on the inside of the oven wall, the axle has fixed to it a bevel gear 65 which engages a bevel wheel 66 fixed to the outer end of the hub 25, similar in form and arran ement to the corresponding hub shown in ig. 5 for transmitting the rotary motion of the dial head to the controlling valve. I

In Fig. 6, there is shown a combined adjusting wheel and dial head 46, which is adapted for a type of installation where the adjustment of the valve on thethermostatic rod may be eifected directly by the dial head on the outside of the oven.

In Fig. 7, the construction is the same as that first described, except that tlie axis of the adjusting dial head 32 is disposed obliquely with relation to the axis of the adjusting wheel 24, instead of at right angles to thesame, this oblique relation of the parts being suited to a further type of installation.

Figs. 8 9, 10 and 11 illustrate the invention as embodied in a cabinet type of gas range, wherein anoven 1 is arranged above and to one side of a cooking top 2, which latter is heated by burners supplied with gas from a supply pipe or manifold 3 In appliyng the invention to gas stoves of this type, the thermostatic valve mechanism is arranged as before in the upper part of the oven, and the adjustments of the piston valve are made by operating the dial head 32 on the outside of the oven as previously described. In this instance, the valve casing 10 is disposed wholly within the oven and is connected tothe manifold 3 by a pipe 47 extending rearwardly from the manifold, a short pipe 48 extending transversely from the pipe 47 into the bottom of the oven, and a pipe 49 extending upwardly.within the oven from the pipe 48 and urner. As a result of'the construction de- I scribed, the gas from the manifold 3, before it reaches the oven burner, is cau to pass through the valve casing 15; where its flow is thermostatically controlled in the manner previously described. I

Wherever in the specification and claims a port is mentioned in describing the ports 21 and 22, it is intended that the expression include a slot-like continuous port as shown, or a port made up of a series 0 in ividual holes or openings related to each other so as to conjointly form in effect an elongated or ex- I tended port, and to include also a port otherwise specifically formed to function similar to the ort shown.

In t e foregoing description and accompanying drawmgs, the invention'has been setforth in the articular detailed forms which it is preferre to adopt, but it will be manifest that the details may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. It should be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any particular form or construction of the parts except in so far as such limitat-ions are specified in the claims.

What I claim is as follows 1. In a thermostatic fuel controlling device for gas burners or the like the combination of a thermostatic couple subject to heat generated by the burner, a valve casing having an annular receiving port, a cylindrical valve slidingly mounted in said casing and adjustably connected with the thermostatic cou le to be moved positively and directly there y, and means in plying fuel to the fuel receiving port, said valve being provided with cooperating with the port in the valve casing in receiving the fuel from the casing port and in controlling the flow of the fuel er1ng gas to the-receiving chamber,

through the casin and the valve being further provided wit longitudinal ports establishing communication between the annular port and the discharge side of the valve.

2. In 'a gas stove, the combination of a heating chamber, a. main heating burner therefor, a ilot burner for igniting the main burner, a t ermostatic couple located within the heating chamber, a valve casing having a gas receiving chamber and a as supply chamber, a valve connected to t e thermostatic couple and controlling the flow of gas from the receiving chamber to the supply chamber, a by-pass communication between said chambers, a pipe leading from the supply chamber to the main heating burner for supplying gas thereto, connections for dellivan a ependent of said valve for supchamber, and bemg provided with axial ports an annular port sin constant communication with said elongatpipeleadii'ig'fFom-the reoeivin to,

the pilot burnerfor supplying't sar'ue co'ntinuousl with gas independently of the sup to t e-he'atmgburnen I; 3. Ina thermostatic fiuid'controlling vice, the combination of avalve casing,",ax

thermostatic'couple, a valve adjustablyf con nected directl to said couple and controllin the flow of uid through the casin ajdia head operatively I connected withgt e' fi'alve and adapted to the valv'efor adjnstin' 1t relativel to e thermostaticrgou 1e, sai dial head ing provided with and a pointer fixed relatively to t ra nations e dial head and in connection with which said gradua-' tions are adapted to-be read, said pointer being provided with graduations ada ted to be read in connection with those on t e dial head and being adjustable relatively to the dial head in the direction of. the spacing of the graduations.

4. In a thermostatic fuel controllin device for gas burners or the like, the com ination of a thermostatic couple subject to heat generated by the burner, a valve casing havmg a fuel receiving chamber and a fuel supply chamber, and provided with a valve cylinder formed with an elongated port in con- 'stant communication with the fuel receiving ed valve port and with the fuel supply chamber, and'gas-tight means for adjusting the valve longitudinally with reference to the thermostatic couple.

5. In a thermostatic fuel-controlling device, the combination of a valve casing, a

thermostatic couple, a valve adjustabl connected to said couple and movable by the lat ter to control the flow of fuel through the casing, and a tapered member rotatably mounted in a correspondingly formed hearing opening in the outer Wall of the valve casing, said member being engaged with the valve for adjusting it, a spring for holdin the tapered member gas-tight to its seat, an a dial head connected to the tapered member for rotating the same in adjusting the valve.

In testimony whereof, I have aflixed my signature hereto.

HENRY W. ODOWD. 

